Croft Oath
by Solarii
Summary: Lara is trying to cop with the pain inside of her, but soon she will find herself on a mission to save them all...R
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"No!" She yelled and Roth lets her fall to the ground and he turns around, starting to shoot at the Solarii brothers and Mathias runs off. Roth sits down on the ground the axe still in his back, Lara looks at him, tears running down her face.

"I can't do this without you." She said and he used his last strength to hand her his guns.

"You can do this, Lara." He takes a breath. "You're a Croft" and he dies.

Lara just continues to cry on his shoulder.

I had failed then and now. Why did everyone close to me die? First my parents, Grim, Roth, Alex, Werner, Kurtis and now Alister. They were people in danger when they were around me. I wish Egypt had killed me when it had a chance with that pyramid that collapsed onto me all those years ago. But somehow I survived that too. Yes I'm a survivor but no one survives when they are around me. I am Lara Croft a born survivor, a Tomb Raider, a famous Archaeologist and adventurer but I am also a murderer, for I am responsible for all the people close to me for dying. People seem to know me as smart, bold, brutal, tough, daring, courageous, agile, dangerous and strong but in my eyes, I don't feel those things. I feel pain and sadness. I'll go one with my raiding but from now one, I am leaving everyone I love behind. I'm not losing more of my loved ones.

I got off the ground of Alister's grave; I placed the rose down and grabbed my backpack that had been next to me the whole time. I walked out of my courtyard and onto the road. I glance one more time at my Manor, and said goodbye to it. I would never return again, that's a Croft Oath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I came to the bus station and bought a ticket to Scotland, I didn't know why there but I just wanted to be as far as possible from the people I loved the most. I got my ticket and looked at the time, I only had 10 minutes left before the bus would leave so I went to the little shop and bought myself a take-away coffee. It was morning and I felt like I didn't have the energy to walk or to stay up anymore. I looked for my bus after taking my coffee and paying for it, there was 5 minutes left and I just started walking, keeping an eye out for bus 657.

Not far away, I found the bus, there was now just 2 minutes left and I quickly walked to the ticket man and handed him my ticket. After that I climbed in and sat myself at the window in the third row on the left side in front. Not long after that the bus started to move and I looked at the city I was in as the bus approached the exit of the city. I felt sad for leaving them all behind but it was for the best, wasn't it? I sipped my coffee, and thought again about the Yamatai trip and how I lost almost everyone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I arrived in Perth and I climbed out of the train and got myself a taxi to take me to the nearest hotel for the night. I was still wondering what my next adventure will be and how I was going to do it without the help of Zip or Winston. I sighed and got into a taxi, told him to take me to a hotel that wasn't far. He said that there was one not so far away and started driving there. We drove over the bridge and I looked at the lake. It was beautiful but I just wasn't in the mood to be happy anymore. My life has been nothing but deaths. I still wished that I had died and not them. I wanted them to be alive. I wanted Kurtis to be next to me and not dead. A tear ran down my cheek as we came to a stop. I got out and looked at the hotel, it wasn't really a fancy one but I didn't care. I paid the taxi and took my bag

I walked into the room after booking into the hotel, for one night. I sat down onto the bed and took out a journal. I started writing about my day. How I felt and what I wanted so badly. After doing that I fell asleep on the bed, not bothered to get underneath the bedcovers.

Next morning I booked out of the hotel and went into the street. That's when I saw a man across the street, smoking a cigarette and watching me. He looked just like…No, Lara don't go there. It couldn't be him, could it? The man threw the cigarette to the ground and walked in my direction and stood in front of me. I couldn't breathe, those eyes met mine and I got scared that this was only a dream.

"Hey Lara." He said with that American accent.

"Kurtis" I said finally and a tear fell down my cheek.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

He looked me up and down before he looked me in the eyes. "Did you miss me?"

"You're- you're supposed to be…dead," I tried to speak normal but I was too in shock to speak properly.

"Well I'm not dead, Lara" he said.

"But the pool of blood I found" I said placing my hand on my hip.

"I don't know what happened but I woke up in the hospital the next day. I still don't know how I got there. I thought you had taken me there." He said rubbing his head.

"No, I didn't. I found you gone and the pool of blood. I also found this." I said and took out that strange disc of his and handed it to him.

"My Chirugai, I was looking for that" He said taking the disc.

"So, that's what you call that thing." I said pointing to the disc in his hand.

"Yeah, look Lara, I'm not here to chat, I've been at your house but your butler said that you left. So I tracked you down to this hotel." He said looking at the hotel. I was wondering why he was looking for me asked. "What do you want, Kurtis?"

"It's Karel, he's still alive and he's planning something big and I need your help in stopping him" Kurtis answered.

"No thanks, Kurtis I need to work alone. Sorry." I said "It was nice seeing you again take care." I started walking away when I heard him again

"Please Lara, I can't do this alone. Please." He sighed as I only walked on but then as I walked over the street I heard gunshots from the back. I turned around and saw Kurtis fall to the ground. I quickly took out my guns as I ran to his side. I started shooting at the guy who had shot Kurtis. In a few seconds the guy fell to the ground and I focused on Kurtis but when I looked at him he was only smiling at me. He got slowly up and he looked at his shoulder before looking at me. "Looks like you can't stay away from me can you?" he said winking at me. I pushed him a little.

"You fucking bastard, you scared the living shit out of me." I said

"Well, let's talk somewhere private and I'll tell you about Karel's plan." He said

"I'll come with you if you let me look at that wound." I said.

"Fine, I'm staying in an apartment not so far away from here. Let's go." He said and started to walk off. I sighed and walked after him.

We arrived at his apartment and I looked around, the place was dirty and messy. I couldn't understand how he could have a place for one day and have it so messy, assuming he'd only had it for a day. I looked at him as he closed the door behind him. He turned and looked at me "Do want something to drink." He asked

"No thanks. Let me look at that wound first." I said.

"Okay, just let me get the first aid kit." He said and walked off.

I sat on the couch waiting for him when I found a file on Karel lying on the coffee table. I picked it up and started going through the papers. I found that Karel had been traveling a lot since I destroyed his work but I saw something else in this file. A drawing of Karel, standing over a body. The person he was standing over was a female, she looked kind like me. I didn't understand why Kurtis would draw something like this. I looked at the next drawing when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up and saw Kurtis standing with the Aid kit in his hand looking at me. "I was just looking." I said and closed the file, placing it back on the table.

"No, it's fine I just didn't want you to see those drawings." Kurtis said and sat next to me, handing the aid kit to me.

"Why did you draw me lying on the ground with Karel standing over me with such an evil smile on his face" I asked.

"It wasn't my idea. Look lately I have been having the strangest visions of Karel and you." Kurtis said. One of them was that drawing. I saw how Karel was fighting with you and then he throws you to the ground and stood over you ready to kill you then my vision changed to a woman with so much power, she could destroy Karel." He answered and took off his shirts. I started with the wound.

"So these visions are another Lux Veritatis ability." I said.

"You can say that but I could always control them, now I can't," Kurtis said wincing as I placed the alcohol on the wound.

"When did these visions start getting out of control?" I asked.

"A month ago." He answered.

"Right and it's only me, Karel and this woman you've been seeing" I asked him as I started bandaging him up.

"No, I also saw this tomb but I don't why" Kurtis answered.

"What Tomb?" I looked at him

"I think the people call it the Tomb of the Lara" he said with a smile but I hit him on his injured shoulder. He winced in pain.

"Very funny, Kurt but what's the name" I asked

"I don't know, it looked like a Mayan tomb but I'm not sure." He answered.

"Done" I said placing the rest of the medical supplies back in the aid kit before I went on with the subject at hand. "Okay, did you draw this tomb? Maybe something you saw can lead us to it or why you are seeing it."

"Yeah, I have it in my study" he said getting up and putting his shirts on. I must say he looks hot with a six pack. I looked away when I noticed that I was staring too long. "Come on" I heard him say so I got up and followed him to his study.

"Is it me or did you have this apartment for a long time" I said as we were walking.

"I stayed here a few years back, just after I left the Legion." He answered and we entered his study. Just like the rest of the place, it was messy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

I sat down on a chair as Kurtis walked to the desk and picked up another file. He opened it and paged through some papers before taking a paper out and handing it to me. "This is the Tomb" he said. I took the drawing and looked at it. As I did I heard him sit down on a chair that made a noise. I ignored it and went on with the drawing. It did look like a Mayan Tomb, but it looked like the one I've been to, to find Thor's belt.

I looked up at Kurtis who sighed "So is it a Mayan Tomb" He asked.

"This Tomb looks like the one I've been to that I visited a few months back" I answered. "The Tomb is Mayan; you can see the statues of the Lords of Xibalba."

"The what?" he said with a frown.

"The Lords of Xibalba reportedly enjoyed using mannequin to humiliate visitors before sending them into deadly trap rooms. These themed tests supposedly were to test the worth of visitors, but were really intended to kill them outright as entertainment." I explained, looking back down to the drawing.

"Okay, what about the water?" He asked as he got up and sat on a chair next to me. He pointed to a little river.

"This is a drawing, Kurtis. How did it look in the visions?" I asked looking at him

"I can show you." He said holding out his hand.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's another ability, I can show people my visions." He said "And I can't really explain what the water looked like."

"Okay." I said and placed my hand in his. In a moment I saw myself in the Tomb, walking past a dead body that was killed by some traps. Then I saw the river, it looked like the one in the drawing. I looked closer and that's when it came to me that it wasn't water. I quickly snapped back to reality and Kurtis only looked at me.

"I know what it is, the river isn't water. It's Eitr." I answered.

"I know you're gonna tell me what the hell Eitr is" He said crossing his arms.

"In Norse Myth, Eitr was an elixir that bestowed eternal life to the gods" I took a breath.

"But" Kurtis asked leaning back in the chair.

"But paradoxically it was poison that came from serpents, like the Mudguard Serpent. This is similar to the Hindu concept of amrita, or ambrosia to the Greeks." I took another breath, Kurtis just listened to me. "Only the Norse came closest to the literal truth; that the substance was indeed poison and in fact only gave the appearance of eternal life in the animation of corpses."

"Okay so we don't touch it, got it." Kurtis said. He then took the file and handed it to me. "There's more of the tomb in here. The outside also." I opened it and gasped at the first drawing. I looked at Kurtis.

"I know where this tomb is." I said getting up. "It's near the place I've been to at the south side of Mexico"

"How do you know?" He asked and I showed him the drawing.

"Because this is a Mayan Calendar, there's only one in the Mayan world." I answered.

"Calendar?" He asked raising an eyebrow at me.

"The Mayan calendar had only 360 days and the remaining five were the unnamed days." I sighed "The Mayans believed that each year when the unnamed days arrived, the gates to the underworld would open."

"Wait the underworld. This is great" Kurtis said with a sigh. I looked at him with confusion.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"I was busy with a creature that had come from the underworld a month ago." He answered.

"Wait, didn't you say, you started losing control over your visions also a month ago." I asked

"Yes, Why" He asked.

"Did you go into the Underworld?" I asked.

"Yes, I needed to take the creature back. Lara what are you getting at?" he asked.

"Kurtis, your visions are going out of control, because of the underworld." I said and started pacing.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked

I stopped and looked at him; he could see the worry in my face "Yes" I answered and sat down with my head in my hands and started to cry.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I got up from the chair and walked to the window as more tears fell down my cheeks. I couldn't tell the truth, not yet anyway. Not until I'm sure I can find a cure to save him. As I thought, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to the owner of it and saw those blue eyes staring into my brown. I looked back out of the window. I could see people walking around on the streets, trying to get out of the pouring rain. I sighed and looked at the Chinese shop across the street. It was busy, but something caught my eye. I looked closer but I heard his voice in my ear.

"Lara, what's the matter." He asked and I only looked at him, tears still coming down.

"Nothing" I quickly said and glanced back to what I had seen but it was gone.

"Lara, I know something is wrong." He uttered and wrapped his arms around me, I wanted to push him away but I didn't, I only rested my head on his chest, wrapped my arms around his waist and the tears only came out more. "Lara" I looked up at him and sighed.

"I can't lose you again." I said and tried to stop crying.

"You won't lose me again, okay." He tried to make me stop worrying as he looked into my brown eyes.

"How sure are you about that" I asked and wiped my tears away.

"Because, I'll do anything to be with you, even fight to stay alive" he smirked at me and I only smiled at him. "So, you done crying?"

"Let's get back to business then." I said and broke the embrace. "But first, where is the bathroom?"

"Go out of my study and turn left then you'll find it." He answered and sat down on a chair that was littered with papers and plastic bags underneath. I ignored it and walked out and to the bathroom.

As I entered the bathroom, I glanced around and noticed a bloody T-shirt in the bath, a small little table next to the toilet with some magazines and a candle. On the sink, there was a bloody soap, the tap was leaking and it was just dirty from the blood and mud. What was he doing, I thought and opened the tap and washed my face with the hot water. As the water poured down into the dirty sink, the blood and dirt slowly went down the drain but not everything. It looked like the blood was two to three days old; I told myself and turned the tape off. I glanced for a towel and found one, hanging from the shower door. I took the towel and wiped my face dry before I hung it back, but now that I'm looking at this bathroom where is the mirror. I sighed and left the bathroom and back to the study. I felt nervous to tell him that his life was in danger. I shook my head and walked in.

Inside I saw Kurtis going through a book and as I looked closer at the book I couldn't see a title. The book looked old and wanted to fall apart. It was in a bad condition and so I ignored it and looked at the room better this time. I noticed a Chinese take out box on the floor next to a full and overflowing trash bin, some crumbled up papers here and there and his desk was full of the papers, pens, pencils, five empty coffee cups. And that's when I noticed the clip board on the wall at the right of the desk. I walked over and looked at the papers and photos clipped onto it. The photos were of Karel, a man, two women and me. Wait he has photos of me, was he spying on me, I thought and heard a sigh behind me. I turned and saw him staring at me.

"Why do you have photos of me?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest.

"That, eh…I can explain" he mumbled the last part.

"Then start talking." I said, glad that I had time to think of what to tell him about his visions.

"Well, as you can see the photos were taken after the manor was blown up." He started, I only nodded. "Well I was heading to your home that night when the explosion went off, sending me backward to the ground." I froze; he was there the same time. Oh I'm gonna kill that doppelganger, I thought.

"Then what, you decided to follow me around just like Paris and Prague?" I asked in anger.

"No, I decided to follow you because I saw Karel driving away after the Manor blew up and I knew he was the one behind everything that had been happening." He explained but that made me frown, what was Karel doing there? I asked myself but didn't get an answer.

"Well, he wasn't the one behind the explosion of my Manor." I simply said.

"And you know this, How?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Because Natla sent a doppelganger to break into my home." I answered.

"Wait, Natla, Natla from the Natla technologies?" He sounded surprised.

"Yes it was her" I answered.

"Do you know Karel paid her a visit the other day?" He declared.

"No, I did not and I killed Natla back in Avalon with the hammer."

"Well, she's still alive. I had an encounter with her once but that was three years ago. She and Karel had been working together on something called the S-"he paused, trying to remember the name.

"The Scion?" I asked and he frowned at me.

"Wait, how do you know about that?" he asked.

"She hired me a few years back to find it for her." I answered.

"Well, she's helping Karel. That reminds me, why were you crying a few moments ago?" He asked.

Great, now I have to tell him something or he'll never let this one go, I thought and paced the floor nervously, my stomach started to turn. Finally I sat down and looked at him. "You see the underworld is a powerful place and when you went down there with your powers, the underworld started draining it away." I answered but that wasn't everything and I'm not gonna tell him that other part.

"So what can happen?" he asked

"Anything but in your case, the underworld is controlling your visions" and it's all going to come true, I told myself.

"So is there something I can get, to get back in control?" he asked.

"Yes, there is but it's dangerous." I answered.

"How dangerous?" he asked and then I heard a noise, my fingers touched my pistols but I saw Kurtis looking at me. Didn't he hear the noise or was it my mind playing tricks on me, I wondered.

"Well, there's a chance getting in but getting out can lead to death." I answered.

"What is it we need to get or where?" he asked.

"The mountains tears" I answered.

"Where is that?"

"Tears of the mountains is also known as the mountain of youth." I answered "Now you need to tell me everything of the last months." I looked at him, his face showed signs of guilt, why was he guilty or what was he hiding? I thought. He opened his mouth but then we both ducked under the table when someone started firing at us.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The shots were coming from the living room, I had already holster out my guns but Kurtis was looking at the window. I heard the door open and as quick as I am a shot at the two mercenaries and ducked back behind the table. "We need to get out of here" I whispered.

Kurtis looked at me "We jump" he said and I looked at him, confused by his words.

"We what?" I asked, holding the guns in my hands even tighter.

"There's too many of them coming Lara, we need to jump out the window." Kurtis answered.

"Kurtis, we are too high up, maybe you can survive such a fall but I can't" I declared.

"Remember how I helped you out with that it in the Strahov" Kurtis smiled at me as he remembered the whole event.

"Yes" I answered

"Well I can also help you down high places like this." He claimed as he pointed to the window.

I looked at him, not wanting to do it but more bullets came flying into the room and then I just sighed and holstered back my guns and grabbed his hand. We got up and ran to the window and jumped through it. Glass flew out with us, as I closed my eyes in fear, but I opened them again when I felt the ground under my feet. Kurtis was looking back up to the window and saw a man looking down at us, a man Kurtis recognized.

I saw Kurtis' expression suddenly changing into anger; I looked up and saw the same man. He had brown hair and I could also see a scar on his one cheek. Then I felt a hand on my arm, pulling me to run. I looked at Kurtis as he pulled me, I wanted to pull back but then bullets came flying at us and I had no choice but to run with Kurtis. A few blocks away was a bike and Kurtis smiled at me. I shot back at the people behind us as Kurtis jumped onto the bike. I looked at him with confusion, how was there a bike ready for us. "Are you climbing on or do you want to stay and fight?" He asked, I sighed and quickly climbed onto the bike and we drove off into the distance.

* * *

We came to a stop, in front of a house that looked old and the grass hadn't been cut in years. I climbed off the bike and looked around. We were in the downtown area and I looked at Kurtis as he walked to the gate. "Where are we?" I asked.

"This is a safe house, they won't find us here" he answered and I followed him to the door. The place looked so small, like an apartment.

I searched the interior house for something interesting, but saw very little. We entered the house into a small kitchen, which led directly into the living room. There were seats placed periodically throughout the room, and the ceiling and floor were graced by water and rusty stains.

I saw several papers lying on the small kitchen table and on the floor near the dustbin. Used dishes were lying in the sink and on the counter. I wondered why a random safe house would have such objects, unless Kurtis had been staying here, for a while to keep in the shadows and not be noticed.

"Nice place" I falsely stated, as I sat down on the chair by the small kitchen table. Kurtis joined me as I heard him say.

"It's a shitty place." He uttered under his breath.

"I take it you use this place a lot?" I stated.

"I only come when I'm in danger." Kurtis replied.

"And recently you've been in a lot of danger." I stated as I looked at the sink.

"I wasn't here lately." Kurtis looked worried and it made me concerned. If he wasn't here then who was.

"You're saying that someone else was here." I asked.

"Yes" Kurtis simple said.

"Who?" He only looked at me in fear.

"I, I don't know" he uttered.

"Kurtis, it's time I get some answers." I said.

Kurtis sighed "What do want to know?"

"Everything" I stated in a little anger. "Who the hell are you?"

Kurtis looked at me in disbelief and while he looked down to the ground, he heard a clicking sound, making him look up. He was looking at the barrel of a gun; I really was getting pissed off about this whole thing. I'm not gonna help him until I had some answers and if it meant threatening him with a gun to his head, then so be it.


End file.
